Archive for the ‘1974’ Tag

I noticed these two relists on eBay this morning, and I wonder if they will sell this time around. I am kind of surprised that the Honda has 20 bids thus far (but still not meeting reserve), whilst the XS650 has zero bids. I get that the Yamaha needs a small amount of completion work, but still…

When I first saw this bike, my initial thoughts were about it’s “British-ness”. I don’t think that’s a word, but none-the-less the bike gave off an anglo vibe. Then, after pondering it for a bit, I realized it was the chrome. To me, all of the chrome (fenders, accessories, bars) just brought visions of a tricked out brit bike. Or maybe I was just channeling Quadrophenia with a mind full of 10 mirror scooters racing around the UK.

And then I noticed the exhaust pipe… 😦 The buyer of this bike will probably fix it, but why? JC Whitney can supply cheepo mufflers that look better than a piece of straight black pipe attached to chrome headers.

There are 4 hours and 30 minutes left in the auction as I write this, and bidding is only at $1,325. So if you are willing to put a set of mufflers on a 30K mile CB750, this is actually quite a good buy at this price. Good luck if you choose to bid!

Here’s a beautiful, clean, and non-restored Norton Commando cafe racer. The price is currently a low $3,150 with 2 1/2 days left in the auction. The seller has it listed on craigslist for $4,100, so I suspect the reserve is no higher than the craigslist price.

I focused on the price first, because the pics tell most of the story. However, there is more to the story. The seller is honest about the flaws on this bike, which include a small amount of road rash from a low speed dump and a couple of instances of cracked glass (speedo and headlight). It also has some nice upgrades other than the cafe racer aesthetics including electronic ignition, new headers, and an RGM brake system.

What’s especially nice about this bike is that it is very representative of a true British cafe racer. And honestly, the only aesthetic thing that has been done to this bike is the conversion to clubman bars. Damn, I wish I could afford this bike!

While this is a repost here on the blog, it is also a relist on eBay.And this time it appears to be a no reserve auction which already has 1 bidder at $2,800. I’m sometimes skeptical of relists as I have no idea if it’s real or a scam. However…

In this case, I liked this bike so much the first time around that I decided to repost it anyways. And I even included the rest of the pictures I didn’t post last time. This is a very beautiful bike that truly stands out among cafe racers. Especially those of the home built variety. Here’s a link to the original post on 4/22/09. If you decided to bid this time, be careful, ask questions, and good luck.

Every once in a while a bike like this comes up on eBay, and I always feel lucky to be able to post something like this. What a beautiful motorcycle!

Even though words can’t do justice to a bike like this, the seller has written about a thousand word essay about this bike in his eBay listing. Additionally, he is throwing in http://www.cb350f.com (the url) to the winner. That way you can have a trophy site to go with your trophy bike if you are the winner of this nicely built machine.

One gripe before I sign off for the evening: what’s up with that taillight?

Here we have a cafe racer based on a 1974 Honda CB750 that has so much going right, and then a few things going a bit wrong. But before I get into that, I’ve got to say that it is for sale in a no-reserve auction, and the price is low right now, so keep that in mind.

First things first, the tank is sweet. Seller claims its heritage as having come from Carpy, which means it’s a choice piece of kit. It certainly looks nice, and is the nicest single thing on the bike. I also like the front end of the bike, with the clip-ons and large headlight creating that classic cafe silhouette. However, I’m not sure about the key mount. It seems like it could be simpler, but what do I know. And I like the seat, I think it just needs to be remounted a bit.

Overall, a decent cafe racer with some nice parts that just needs a few finishing touches (and some rear-sets (see the post from yesterday for some appropriate foot controls)). But with 5 days left in the auction and no reserve, it will be interesting to see what the auction closes at, and how much this bike is actually worth…

Hi I am the owner and advertizer of this Rickman and you are correct it will need alot of restoration but if you want more information i’d be happy to give it to you, From what i know is the bike was purchased from the original owner in 1982 and was raced at daytona by a man named edward hardee it was stored in 1986 and has remained in storage ever since. It has changed hands a few times and i ended up with it after my brother passed away. I was going to start restoration on it however i am planning to move to the Philippines for a few years while my wife studies there for her MD. The bike has some rust on the front tubes but looks like it can be removed the clip on’s will need to be re-chromed and the frame polished or re dipped to restore the nickle finish the borrani rims seem to be in good shape however the motor is siezed but a good canidate for a rebuild as it ran when stored and only has 12,847 miles on it. The bike has never been in a wreck but just unfortunetly uncared for but certainly worth bringing back to its former glory with time and patience. If you need more information or photo’s i’d be happy to send that to anyone thanks –

and btw if you mention you saw the ad here by ilovecaferacers, and you win the auction i will throw in a weekend at the kickstand lodge at the bottom on the tail of the dragon in stecoah NC.

and btw if you mention you saw the ad here by ilovecaferacers, and you win the auction i will throw in a weekend at the kickstand lodge at the bottom on the tail of the dragon in stecoah NC. 😉
Tom

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Before you get too excited about this bike, please understand that it appears like it needs A LOT of work. Not a little. Not some. Not a fair to middlin’ amount of work. A LOT!!!

There are lots of vintage looking pieces on the bike, but the seller isn’t really providing much description. I think if you buy this machine you should have to expect to replace lots of the bits that actually make the bike start, run, and stop.

On the other hand, there are lots of nice (claimed) Rickman parts that, when the bike is done being restored, will get oohs and ahhs when you park the bike at The Rock Store, Alice’s Restaurant, somewhere along the Tail of the Dragon, or at your local bike night. There’s potential here, but it’s going to take some hard work to uncover it…

Like the CB400SS I posted yesterday, I am not advocating ripping this bike apart. However, I am advocating a set of clubman bars or clip-ons, and voila, instant nice-looking cafe racer. This is a really nice bike that seems to be in great condition. An easy, classic looking cafe conversion if I ever saw one. Currently at auction for $1,400 with 5 bidders and 8 days left…

Here’s a great starting point for a cafe racer project. It is a running, non-original 1974 Honda CB750 K4. No worries taking this bike apart as it would need a restoration to be considered “collectible” or show-worthy. There’s a bunch of time left in the auction, and the seller started it at a sort of reasonable $1,100. Zero bidders and over 6 days left…